This Is How Long The Average Irish Person Takes To Fall Asleep

March 23, 2017

Have you ever heard of ‘sleep latency’?

Probably not. But you’re definitely familiar with the concept, as it refers to the time it takes to fall asleep once you’ve gotten into bed, switched off the light, closed your eyes and started counting those trusty sheep.

Sleep experts differ on what the average number is, as this depends on the age and gender of the subjects as well as the type of testing used – but most agree that 14 minutes is a good estimation of the overall number across the board.

But that’s not all…

This is far more than just a number plucked out of thin air; it’s also an important benchmark into health studies that have been carried out on the topic.

According to a study by Pennsylvania State University and Sichuan University, detailed in this article in the Telegraph, those who take longer than 14 minutes are three times more likely to suffer high blood pressure and heart problems.

However, the same study did not indicate whether this sleep latency is because of the reported health problems, because of related stress which can also lead to such factors, or whether the lack of sleep itself leads to the health problems.